The last four months have sped by so fast. The last time I wrote I was a freelancer in Brooklyn. I now write as a graduate student from Philadelphia. In some ways I have hesitated to write because I had so much swirling through my mind I didn't know where to focus my energy. So, here I am months later, writing after the last proseminar class I have this semester. This course in particular has encouraged me to read about and engage in the writing process. Starting with Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and then weaving through all the challenges, hurdles and triumphs related to academic writing, this class provided a wonderful foundation that certainly helped me to acclimate to graduate school. Being a first year doctoral student is complicated, exhausting, exciting and generally humbling. I read, wrote, taught, recorded, typed, read more, wrote more, ... You get the point. This fast pace will only increase as the last three weeks of the semester lay before me. I will have to write, read and type faster than I have all semester and work even harder to make sure I get everything done well. Fast also describes how I feel about the semester - where did it go? It seems like just yesterday I was standing in a line waiting for my registration folder. Fast because before I know it, the year will be ending and it will be time to look forward to dissertation topics and other issues meant for advanced doctoral students. But for now, I take a minute to appreciate just how wonderful this journey has been to date.